Last week, SKIMS unveiled a $48 Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap, a new addition to its shapewear line, which is like a bra for the face. According to SKIMS website, the wrap is their “first-ever face innovation.”
“This must-have face wrap boasts our signature sculpting fabric and features collagen yarns for ultra-soft jaw support,” the product description states. “Velcro closures at the top and nape of the neck allow for easy, everyday wear.”
As Glamour reports, with its Velcro closures on the top of the head and the back of the neck, the contraption essentially shrink wraps your chin, jawline, and cheeks in polyamide (which is, apparently, also infused with “collagen yarn,” whatever that is).
Skims goes on to call it a “must-have addition to your nightly routine” in an Instagram post, while Kim went so far as to say on Stories that the Face Wrap is “such a necessity” and that “it snatches your little chinny chin chin.… It’s super comfortable to wear at night or just around the house.”
Given the Face Wrap is designed for “strong, targeted compression” according to the product description, and it’s been designed by a woman whose Met Gala corset was so tight it left her bruised and struggling for breath, “comfortable” is probably a stretch.
“Is it April Fools?” wrote skin care expert Caroline Hirons in the Skims comments. “Gentle reminder: they’re targeting and profiting off your insecurities with stuff like this,” wrote another. In fact, many on social media thought the contraption so horrific, they compared the beige version to the mask actor Anthony Hopkins wore as Hannibal Lecter in “Silence of the Lambs.” Hopkins apparently wanted in on the joke, and posted a video on Instagram sporting the new Skims Face Wrap in “clay.”
“Hello Kim, I’m already feeling 10 years younger,” Hopkins said in Lecter’s eerie voice before reviving the character’s iconic slurping sound. “Goodbye.” He paired the video with the caption, “Thank you, Kim. Don’t be afraid to come over for dinner,” in another reference to the cannibalistic character. Kardashian played along, posting his video on her Instagram story on Thursday, writing “I’M SCREAMING!!!!!”
As Newsweek reports, Boston facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Spiegel—who boasts 38,800 followers on TikTok and an additional 35,300 on Instagram—said the new item is “just clever marketing” and “won’t tighten your skin, stimulate collagen, or create lasting changes to your face.”
“I’m afraid KK [Kim Kardashian], you’re going to lose a lot of credibility on this one,” he said in a video posted to social media. “If you have collagen yarns, what does that mean? It’s not going through your skin.” In the caption of the clip, Dr. Spiegel added that “real collagen stimulation comes from proven treatments like lasers, microneedling, and injectables—not from wearing a piece of fabric.”
Nevertheless, the Face Wrap sold out within 24 hours online, which speaks volumes about how complicated our relationship with our faces has become.
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